Apparatus for making brooms



March 9, 1943. H. CAVE.4

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRooM;

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. l5, 1940 Avg-(V709 f 472 /P/VEY Patented Mar. 9, 1943 Henry Cave, Hartford Conn., assigner to The;

Fuller Brush Company, Hartford, Conn., a cor?` poration of Connecticut Application August 5, 1940, seriaiNo; 351,448

" (ci. 30o-12) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to a process and apparatus for making brooms from various sorts of fibers and for assembling `and securing the same in a very simple and eicient manner.

A machine embodying the invention and'in'the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of an apparatus embodying my invention and illustrating the method of forming a broom.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, Figs. 1 and 2 being of a diagrammatic character.

Figure 3 is an isometric view illustrating the holder embodying the invention and which is employed in practicing the process.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3: and illustrating the manner of depositing broom fibers in the holder.l

Figure 5 is another similar view illustratingfthe use of the holder in a further step inthe process.

Figure 6 illustrates a still further step in the process employing the holder. y

Figure? is a View illustrating the broom bers finally clamped and secured in the holder.

Figure 8 is a view in sectionv illustrating 'the construction Aand operation'of the holder.

Figure -9 is a view in section on a plane denoted by the brokenline 9 9 of Fig.- 8. f

Figure 10 is a detail View illustrating the tamping device.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral I0 'denotes a carrier, preferably of circular form and rotatably mounted in any suitable manner within a stationary table II, a portion only of which is shown in the drawings but whichis located on different sides of the Vcarrier and upon which broom material may be distributed and upon 'which holders may be manipulated in the making of brooms in a manner embodying the process inv which the brooms are partially formed as hereinafter described. VA fiber feeding device generally denoted by the numeral I2 Iis located in a position to deliver broom bers to holders upon the carrier as the holders are moved along by the carrier underneath the feeding 'device that "delivers the broom bers into the holders. This ber feed may be of old and well known construction commonly. employed in the distribution of broom and brush fibers in the making o fbrooms and brushes, and as this 'in itself forms 'no part of the present invention thereof will be omitted, it being suiiicient to state a detailed description that it comprises afeed chute I3 in which the bers are placed in horizontal positions and which may be urged downwardly by a weight I 4 against the edge of anotched'feedV wheel I5 rotatably mountedV in the bottom end' of thev chute-and whichv may be rotated in the usual manner as by v means of a motor I 6, the -broom material I'I in the form of bers being picked up by the-notches in the feed wheel and thereby carried through an outlet opening in the bottom of the chutefrom which-they are deposited in the holders aslthe latter are'carried underneath the opening by the operation Vof they carriers in a mannerV common -to feed devices of this type. A fiber holder, which as a whole is of U-shape, comprises a base I8 and upstanding ends I9`20 which are curved or 'beveled'at'their outer ends as at VV2l lfor the purpose of ready reception of a clamp bar 22. Each of the upstandingends has 'a hole 23 and one end may have a groove 24=lead ing into'the hole therein; as shown in Fig.: 3. The base I8 may beprovided with positioning notches 25e-26 on opposite vedges thereof to receive'positioning lugs 2'I-'28 relatively xed in andy projecting from the carrier I-il vto locate the holders in proper positions on the carrier end to end 'and preferably against orinclose proximity to each other as shown'in Fig; 2. l

j" The clamping bars 221are each provided with aretaining pin orpins29 projecting from one or both ends to engage in vone or both of the holes 23, these pins being spring 'pressed' outwardly. 'Finger pins 3U projecting: from each'of the retaining vpins through slotsfin the edges of the bar serve asa means Afor'disengaging theretaining pins from the holes inthe ends of the holders. Abutments 3| are rlxedonthe` table'int position to receive the ends of the broom bers II carried by the holders, purtenant'to each s carriers.'l 1

`In the practice ofit'heyprocess van operative at station A places holdersf successivelyvk in position on'V the 'carrier in engagement withftheposition'- ing lugs, with the ends of the holders preferably in" contact, as shown inv'Fig. "1." tion the" holders are'moved by the carrierl to station B whe e each receives alayer 32gof broom f pqsinoning lugs j on the material deposited theiejmgby "operation of'jtht fiber feed I From station Btheholde'rs' with the layer 32 of fibers therein pass to station C where a second layer 33 of bers is'placed'upon the nrs; layerineach of tne,ho1ders. 1 This se'cond layer ofnbe'r's 'may be different in'ch'aracter, as to quality, coarseness, or otherwise, from the there beingan abutment ap- :From this sta'- From station C the holders with the two layers 32--33 of fibers therein journey to stationijj D, where a third layer 34 of fibers is placed,

upon the layer 33, this layer 34 of fibers beingl preferably of the same character as the layer 32. This third layer 34 is preferably deposited in the holders by the operation of the feed dej vice 35 in substantially the same manner as at station B by the fiber feed I2. Y From station D the holders pass by operation of the carrier to stationvE where an operative places the clamping bars 22 `successively within the holders as they approach lthis station,V as shown inFigs. 1 and 6. In this loperation one of the retaining pins 29 is thrust into its jcompanion hole 23V in the upstanding end I9 of the holder and the retaining pin at the opposite end of 4the bar is engaged in the groove 24 inthe upstanding end 20, and by means of-a ,handle 31 on a clamp operating lever 36 pivotally mounted on the structure at the Vendopposite the handle and as shown in the-center of the table Il the clamp engaging pin 38, see Fig. 6, is thrust against the side of the bar 22 and the retaining pin 29 at this end of the bar is forced along the groove 24 into position where-it snaps into the hole 23 in'the upstanding end 20 of theholder.. A

From station E the holders withithe several layers of broom material therenare passedfto station F and underneath a tamping device generally denoted by the numeral 39. This tamping device may be lof any suitable character and only a brief description thereof will'be'given herein. Thus stated this ndevice consists of a case 40 within which a shaft .4I from a motor 42 extends, said shaft having ,laterally extending. arms forming cranks` 45 operativelyconnected with tamping .fingers `43 located on oppositesides ofthe clamp and asshown in Figs. l and 10, which ngers, as `the shaft is yrotated by the motor 42, exertv a rapid tampingaction upon the broom'materi'al .within theholde' as the material is passed underneath the ends of Vsaid'iingers. This tamping operation rmlysets the material in a -clos'elycompactedstate ,within the holder. I Y l From this compacting station F the holders 4pass to station A where the operativesuccessively removes the holders land places'themfin. a chain carrier 44 in an upended position, as shown in Fig,` 1, and by whichcarrier theyare transported throughv a Vat (not. shown) containing an adhesive mixture, theends only ofthe fibers being dipped into the ,miXture.` After ,treatmentwith the adhesive the'holders-a're removed from the ber mass in' subsequent operations which include the -fastening offmetalli'cfpla'tes 'to secure-the bersand 'form the broom head, a description of these operations' being omitted herein as not comprising a feature' of this invention.,fA Y

,In accordance with vthe provisions. of thefpaztent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out within the scope of the claims.

'I claim:

1. A holder comprising a separate article adapted for expeditious and ready handling in a process for making brooms, said holder comprising a base in the form of a narrow, single piece of material `having upstanding ends of substantially equallengths with a clear space for the full Vlength of said base between said ends, a clamping, bar'of a length substantially that of the space between said ends adapted to be placed between said ends and removably attached to said base, and means for unobstructed interlocking `engagement of the opposite ends of said 'bar with said upstanding ends upon presentation of said bar endsy into locking relationship with said upstanding ends.V I

2. Aholderv comprising aY separatev article adapted AfOr eXpPditiousandv ready handling in aV process for making brooms, said holder'comprising a base in the form of a narrow, single piece of material having upstanding endsof substantially equal lengths with a clear spacefor the full lengthofthe base vbetween said ends, a clamping bar of a length substantially that of the space between said1ends adapted to be placed between said ends and removably attached to said base, and-means for unobstructed interlocking engagement ofthe opposite ends of said bar withsaid-upstanding Vends'upon presentation of said .bar-ends-into-locking relationship with said upstanding ends, v one of said means including a pin on the barjjinsertable into a iixedly positioned hole in an'upstanding end and the other means including ia latching engagement' of the end of thebar with anQupstanding end.

3. A holder for use ina process for making brooms, said holder, comprisingj a base inwthe form of `afnarrow,single; undivided piece having upstanding ends 'oflequal length with a clear space for the full"leng`th of the-basebetween said ends, a clamping `)oar kof .alength substantially, that of the spacebetweenl saidupstanding ends, a pin secured to one end of the clamping bar to engage a hole. in an upstanding end, `and a. pin loosely .mountedlin theopposite end lof ,the clamping vbar forengagement in a hole in the .other upstanding end.Y Y A 4. .A holder for use. in a-process for making brooms, said holder comprising a baselin the fo'rrnofv a narrow, single; r.undivided piece hav- Ving bar rto engage within .said .groove for .guidance Y into said' hole to Zremovably secure 4this end'of the bar in place.; Y .l

; t .1 Y HENRY olivia 

